Escondido council members report gifts, income

ESCONDIDO -- Escondido City Council members last year received
gifts including wine from a developer, flowers from a shopping mall
and Padres baseball game tickets from a cable company, according to
documents filed last month.

The gifts were reported by council members and city officials in
their 2006 statements of economic interests, which are documents
that all public officials are required to submit to the state.

The documents state the values of the gifts and give a general
range of council members' incomes outside of the money they earn
for serving on the council. Only a handful of gifts were listed in
the statements.

Mayor Lori Holt Pfeiler reported receiving the most gifts, with
flowers from Summit Lending Solutions valued at $40, wine valued at
$50 from developer New Urban West, and flowers costing $50 from the
Westfield North County shopping mall.

The only gift to Councilman Ed Gallo, Padres baseball game
tickets valued at $65 from Cox Communications, was the most
expensive.

Council members Marie Waldron, Sam Abed and Dick Daniels didn't
report any gifts.

However, the city's top two appointed officials, City Manager
Clay Phillips and City Attorney Jeff Epp, received gifts as
well.

Phillips received football tickets valued at $60 from the
Westfield Corp., and Epp received a jacket and a meal each valued
at $50 from construction management corporation McCuskey Group, the
statements say.

Council members receive an annual compensation of $26,292 to
serve on the council, for membership on the city's Community
Development Commission and for transportation expenses. The mayor
receives an annual compensation of $51,254.

The statements show council members' additional incomes as
follows:

- Pfeiler reported an additional income of between $10,001 and
$100,000 from her husband, who is a teacher in the Escondido Union
School District.

- Abed reported the Mobile gas station franchise he owns on East
Valley Parkway as being valued between $100,000 and $1 million,
with gross annual income from the business of $10,001 to $100,000.
He also owns a property at 562 W. Grand Ave. valued at more than $1
million that he rents for $10,001 to $100,000 per year, and a
vacant property at 540 W. Grand Ave. valued at more than $1
million, the documents say.

- Daniels, who began serving on the council in December,
reported a gross income of more than $100,000 for his public
relations company. He listed the company's biggest clients as
Brecht Enterprises, Escondido Rincon LLC, Army and Navy Academy,
North San Diego County Association of Realtors, Irving Hughes,
Hogarty Communications and Douglas Wilson Cos.

Daniels also reported his wife's income from working as a real
estate agent at more than $100,000. A San Diego rental property
Daniels owns is valued at $100,001 to $1 million and is rented for
$1,001 to $10,000 annually, the statement says.

- Gallo reported his resale and leasing company as valued
between $10,001 and $100,000, but he didn't list an income from the
business.

- Waldron listed a gross annual income of $1,001 to $10,000 from
the downtown custom T-shirt business she runs with her husband.